How Detroit parents are searching for new schools amid uncertainty, closures

June 4, 2026

Several Detroit schools face closure, creating uncertainty for families who must navigate the city's complex school selection process. The Barack Obama Leadership Academy, a charter school, may close without securing a new authorizer, while four Detroit Public Schools Community District schools are definitively closing after this school year, with a fifth scheduled for 2027. Although the district provided advance notice starting in 2022 and accelerated closure timelines in its budget last year, many parents remain undecided about their children's placements for next fall.

Who is affected

Students and families at Barack Obama Leadership Academy charter school
Students and families at four closing Detroit Public Schools Community District schools: Ann Arbor Trail Magnet Academy, Greenfield-Union Elementary-Middle School, Catherine C. Blackwell Institute, and J.E. Clark Preparatory Academy
Students and families at Thurgood Marshall Elementary-Middle School (closing in 2027)
Specific individuals mentioned: Takiyah Pearson and her children, Marcus Langston and his two granddaughters, Tiffany Walls and her fifth-grade daughter, Adero Jenkins and her sixth-grade daughter Amara
Staff at the closing schools
Cha-Rhonda Edgerson, CEO of Barack Obama Leadership Academy

What action is being taken

Barack Obama Leadership Academy officials are trying to secure a new charter authorizer and are under review with one potential authorizer
Parents are searching for new schools and navigating the selection process
Some parents are waiting for recommendations from the district's enrollment team
The district is providing transportation to students' newly assigned schools
Marcus Langston has placed his fifth-grade granddaughter on a waitlist at the School at Marygrove

Why it matters

This situation highlights Detroit's ongoing enrollment crisis, where only 50,000 of 72,000 available district seats are filled and half of the city's school-age children attend schools outside the district. The closures force families to navigate a complicated school selection process that relies heavily on word-of-mouth, potentially disrupting students' educational continuity and extracurricular involvement. The emotional toll is significant, as families lose school communities they've been committed to for years, sometimes across generations. While the district's approach represents an improvement over past abrupt closures that occurred with little warning under emergency management, the situation still creates stress and uncertainty for families who must balance grieving their current schools with securing quality placements for the upcoming year.

What's next

The charter authorizer reviewing Barack Obama Leadership Academy could make a decision by mid-August
Students' last day at the four closing district schools is Friday (end of current school year)
Parents who haven't yet made decisions need to finalize school placements for next fall
Jenkins is expecting recommendations from the district's enrollment team
The district has vowed to demolish the four closing school buildings
Thurgood Marshall Elementary-Middle School is scheduled for closure at the end of the 2026-27 school year

Read full article from source: bridgedetroit.com